The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-08
III. LEIGH CHlLAERS
CHARGES DURHAM WITH OFF.
CILL INPROPRIETIKS
In Net Accepting His Report as TO
the United States Commits
siOner's Accounts.

NV YoRx, June 4.-The Washing.
ton correspondent Of the World sent
The following to that paper yesterday:
The NINrHIs APrRAL recently con-
tanned an article rejecting on the
soecial examiners OF the Department
n Justice in connection with the in
yestigstion OF the United Sta 90 Com
missioners' accounts in Alabama
Oomptroller Durham has been conn
dent for some time that the accounts
Of certain commissioners in Alabama
we're tainted with fraud and he has
reiust d to pay them pending an inves-
tisaiion. The Attorney General sent
M. Leigh Chalmers, Of Texas, down
there 10 look into the matter. His
renort exouersted two Of the accused
officials, but Mr.. Durham refused TO
sceept il. Another examiner was
sent with Mr.. Chalmers to go over the
ground again with no different result:
Mr.. Durham ignored their report and
continued to hang up the accounts oil
the n .pscted officials. g,
In the APPEAL article II Is minated
that Mr. Cha mers did not make a
faithful investigation. Mr.. Chalmers,
WHO returned from the South few
Savs AGO, gave the World corr espon-
dent today his side OF the story. he,
in turn, accuses Comptroller DURHAM
Of official improperly. He says;
"J. Altheus johnson, clerk in the
Fret Com troller's office, whore bus
inefs. il seems, is to furnish one sided,
varbled statements to the press, Rs 10
nsual with him when he attempts to
make little pasteboard reputation for
The 'Comptroller's office at the ex.
pense tf better men, has wlllfully and
knowingly misrepresented facts ana
cut his garment ont OF whole cloth.
He has never discovered any frauds
in Alabama, nor ever made any sug
Vestions to the general agent OF the
der arlment Of justice ss to whom TO
send there. He says in his article fur
nished the APPEAL:
To show that the notion entertained
by the Comptroller's office as to the
Alabama officials who are under con,
Alteration WAS the correct one, 1t need
only be sad that the character at
tributed to them by the Department
of Justice, in 1883 81, to be found in
the records OF the Springer lnvestRa
ton Committee, is utterly irreconcil'
able with the character given them by
Mr.. Chalmers in 1885.
"This represents me ss condonipe
any crooke d ness that the United State
Commissioners in Alabama may have
been guilty OF, and indorsing and Civ
ing them character To chow the nm.
fairness, dishonesty and garbled
character Of this assertion, 1t is only
necessary to say that l have reported
favorably on but two OF them, Com
missioners Robert Barber and j. L.
Greene, and II either OF these was ever
connected with the Springer investi-
cation never knew it. Nor was it
my duty to inquire, since was sent
to examine pending accounts. Again
he says:
The United States Attorney for the
Middle and Northern Districts Of Ala
bama, in q letter TO the First Comp.
troller written subsequently to Mr..
Chalmers's first report, makes q most
fearful a1aignment Of most OF the
commissioners, etc.
"My first and only report on the
Alabama Commissioners before this
letter was written was on Commits
sioner Barber, and the Comptroller's
Office knew ard full we'll knows that
the letter had no reference whatever
10 Bar ber's accounts, for he was then
and ia still the clerk OF the United
States Attorney, who eeteems him
highly az an officer. The letter refer
red to Unit. d States Commissioner
in North A aoama, whom l subse
quenlly examined and reported I'M
fsvorab y upon. The entire portion
OF the article on the subject in thu
APPEAL, evidently furnished from tn,
Comptroller's office with official sane
ton, ct eks 10 produce the impression
that the conduct OF all the Unite,
States Commissioners in Alabama
honeyCombtd with fraud, and that
an incompetent examiner in the d.
partme, Of Justice, was sent to exam
inc them and failed to find anythin
wrong or TO maxi thorough examini
ton into the facts connected wit
their official conduct.
1.-THE fact is there are thirty-ei9i
United States Commissioners in al
bama, and I, ( his number ! have,
obedience to ms ructions from Il
RECRUITMENT of justice, examined u
official conduct sno accounts OF b
ak. Four OF these | examined In co.
neois0h with Examiner Heiskell, al
our reports upon three OF them see
40 have been satisfactory TO u
"Comptrollei's oflioe," slntO in
Communic 't!un from that office II "
said that he Comptroller was high
delighted al the frauds unearthed, a.
this, too, bef re the accused part
had an opportunity to rebuff or Z
plain the charges contained in I
affidavits taken against them. I
report on the fourth must have prov
satisfactory, since l understand
accounts have been settled in scco
ance with the recommendations c.
tanned IN IL. The fifth Commission
Robert Ba Der, l examined twice, q
made two 8 parste reports, exonel
ing him in each from any fraud
crookeduess whatever in the cond
OF his office.
"In the examination Of his cond
and acc uuIe l took the charges m
againtt him by the First Comptro
in letter directed TO him, and ais
copy OF the charges furnished the pr
and went through them seriatlm, Ct
pairing each separately with the recc
of the Comnli siouer's Office,
found that the record facts in eV
instance vindic 4ted the Oommiss o
and 90 reported, Any question a
whether or not the report Is cor
or the exam nation thorough, car
easily settled, for the specific cha
of the First G mptroler are On FL
the Commissioners Office, and
Commissioner docket and all the
pers connected with each and O.
case tried bv h IN are there also,
any one Ct ordinary comprehen
can comps them and easily al
at the truth.
"Exsmir er Heiskell has since n
an examination Of the same cha
records and accounts, and, In an
haustive TPpo I, Corroborated all